LORD SUWA
by ijusthavetowrite
Summary: Sakura and the others arrived in a new world, searching for her feather. What Fai didn't know was he was about to face a challenge and a choice regarding his feelings for a certain ninja. Why? Because there was someone he's going to meet and maybe fall in love with. Lord Suwa, this world's version of Kurogane.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tsubasa Chronicle. If I do, I would not be here now, wouldn't I?**

**PROLOGUE**

The dungeon was damp and cold. The sound of water drips could be heard now and then in one corner. The only lighting in the dungeon was coming from the dimly lit torch at the top of the stairs near the dungeon's door.

Inside one of the prisons, three silhouettes of people could be barely seen. Every time they move, the sound of chains echoed reminding the occupants of the room about their current states.

Suddenly, the dungeon's door was slammed open. Another two figures came down the stairs and stood in front of the prisoner's cage. Their faces could not be seen clearly as the dungeon was too dark.

"Well, well, well~ How are you, Uncle?" said one of the figures. It was the shorter one and obviously female by the sound of her voice while the taller one stood behind her in silence.

"You will not get away with this! Somebody will search for us and find out what you're doing! They will catch you!" rasped the man that was called uncle before he coughed violently.

"Father!" the two other prisoners shouted in concern.

"We'll see, Uncle. It's not like you can call anybody for help, you know, what with being chain to the wall and all~," their captor said mockingly, followed by a high pitch laugh this time.

"Why are you doing this? We're family!" One of the other two prisoners asked in dismay tone.

"No! You're not a part of this family, I never admit you as one! You and that brother of yours are just the bastard children that had been brought to this family when my idiot uncle married that whore you called mother! You don't know how happy I was when she died. Good riddance!" she sneered.

"Shut up! How dare you insult my family!" the older man in the prison shouted in anger.

"You know, Uncle… None of this will happen if you never make those bastards your heirs. You should have made me your heir, your blood related family, since you can't have a child. It's the tradition. So if you want to blame someone, blame yourself!" she hissed, eyes flashed in anger before she calmed herself and smiled sweetly at them.

"Well, I still have many things to do so I'll leave now. Enjoy your time~!"

And with that, the two mysterious figures left the dungeon with an evil cackle from the girl.

**~End of Prologue~**

**My first fanfic. This story was originally wrote for a doujinshi I was going to make last year. But I got busy and have no time to make it so I translate the story and posted it here. I hope you guys and gals enjoy it~**


	2. Chapter 01 The New World

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle or any of its characters. If I do, Kurogane and Fai would hook up a long time ago.**

**CHAPTER 01 – THE NEW WORLD**

The neighborhood was pretty decent. The neighbors were friendly, too, waving at them with warm smiles when they arrived in front of the house. The architecture of the buildings in general was pretty modern but still heavily influenced with gothic style.

In fact, this world was kind of similar to the virtual world, Outo Country, not only in architecture but also in technology and fashion, though the oriental fashion styles were not as popular as it was in Outo.

The house was a one-story house that was small but nice. It was square and had one large room that was used as a living room and dining room at once with a small kitchen in the corner and a fireplace on one side, two bedrooms and a small bathroom. The furniture was just the basic and simple ones but that was enough for the group. There was a little yard behind the house with a water pump and a couple of plants.

Sakura's group was walking around the house, examining everything in sight while Fai was talking with the landlord.

"I hope your family like the house. I know it's not much, but since you ask for a cheap but decent one…," the landlord trailed off.

"Oh, it's perfect, Mr. Landlord! Don't you worry~," Fai waves dismissively.

"The house is lovely~ Isn't it, Syaoran-kun?" Sakura said. Syaoran nodded with an "Un!" Mokona just sat silently in Sakura's arms, not moving, not talking, just pretending to be a good lovely doll.

"See? We all love it~! Don't we, Kuro-chan~?" Fai called out to the big ninja at the backyard, waving enthusiastically with a wide smile.

Kurogane grunted. "All least it's not that apartment with that fallen ceiling you wanted to take before."

"Even Kuro-pon loves it!" Fai clapped his hands together, ignoring the indignant shout of "My name is Kurogane!" from the strongest ninja of Nihon. The landlord sweat-dropped at their antics and, to be honest, quite intimidated by the sight of the black-cloaked man.

"We have to pay the rent at the beginning of every month as long as we stay here, right? Here is the money. Thank you so much for renting your lovely home to us~," Fai said, practically shoving the little pouch to the man's hands in his excitement.

"You're welcome, Mr. Flowright. It's a pleasure. Please, enjoy your stay. I have to excuse myself now. Goodbye," the man nodded politely before practically ran away from the weird little family.

"Goodbye to you too~," Fai said, waving cheerily.

"Oh, we're so lucky to find this home, aren't we, Fai-san?" Sakura said as she looked around the house once more.

Syaoran nodded. "Yeah! Otherwise, we might have to stay in that apartment Kurogane-san mention before because we don't have much money until we can get a job."

"That place is so scary. Mokona's really think that the roof will fall off~!" Mokona, finally free to talk after pretending to be a doll all day, squealed loudly.

Fai laughed lightly. "It's okay. We don't have to worry about that anymore~"

"Yeah. We just need to worry about getting a job before the money run out, which is about a week from now, give or take a few days," Kurogane said in his growly voice.

"Oh, there's plenty of time, Kurorin~ Relaax~," Fai, ever the optimist, said. "Now, about sleeping arrangement. There are two bedrooms. One with two single beds and one with a double bed. Syaoran-kun, Sakura-chan and Mokona can share the room with the two beds while Daddy and Mommy will share the other one~!"

"WHAT?!"

"Just like one big family~," Mokona cheered.

"Wait a minute! Why do I have to share a room with you?! There's only one bed in there and I'm not sleeping in the same bed with you!" Kurogane protested.

"But, Kuropon~ Are you going to suggest Syaoran-kun and Sakura-chan sleep in the same bed?" Fai said, making Syaoran and Sakura blushed furiously in the progress.

"No, but…!"

"Then, you want to sleep with Syaoran-kun?" Fai asked again in suspicious tone with narrowed eyes. Mokona, who was standing on the top of the mage's head, had the same expression.

"No dammit! But…!" A vein popped.

"Or is it Sakura-chan?"

"Hell no!" Two veins popped.

"Mokona, then?" Mokona gasped loudly at the question and then squealed with a blush, hiding its face in its paws, or at least, trying to.

"Would you listen to…!" The third veins popped, the first one looked dangerously ready to burst.

"Then the only option for Daddy is sleeping with Mommy, or sleeping in the floor~ Because Mommy don't want to get a sore muscle from the floor's hard surface~," Fai decided.

Kurogane roared. "Would you listen to me?! Who do you call a Daddy, huh?! I'll slice you in half, you selfish bastard!"

"Nyahahahahaha~!" laughed Fai as he danced around the house avoiding a certain ninja's sword.

_**~ page break~**_

The sky was clear the next day. It was a beautiful forget-me-not blue with only one or two patches of clouds. The city was busy with activities. People and horse carriages were passing by. Shops opened here and there.

Fai and Sakura, armed with empty baskets and a pouch of money in Fai's pocket, were shopping for some groceries in the market. The place was crowded and loud with people talking, bargaining and shouting everywhere.

Sakura, insisting that she wanted to help, was struggling with a couple of the longest bread loafs Fai had ever seen when his eyes caught sight of the board. It was an information board with posters and notices on one side and many colorful papers on the other side. Looking closely, Fai realized that they were notes about various job vacancies or advertisements about people's skills looking for a job and how to contact them.

"Hyuuuu~ Look, Sakura-chan~," Fai pointed at the colorful papers.

"What is it, Fai-san?" Sakura looked at the papers her guardian pointed at.

"It's seem this is how people in this world look for a job or someone to work for them~," Fai explained as his eyes wandered around, trying to read them.

The language of this world was similar enough with the one in the Jade Country. It was fortunate that Fai managed to learn it a little bit.

"Oh, this is very good, Fai-san~ This way we can get a job and make some money~," Sakura said brightly. "But…do you think we really need to find job? Mokona…"

"It's fine~ I had asked Mokona-chan before we go out, there's a feather in this country. We would need to find a job since we don't know how long we would stay," Fai smiled at her before went back to inspecting the notes again, "But it seems most of this jobs are more suitable for Kuro-chan than us~"

It was true. Most of the notes were looking for strong men that can do many manual labors around the harbor or warehouse or for security. None of them suited the magician or the princess. Even Syaoran barely could take the job. Fighting was one thing for the boy but heavy lifting?

"Is that so?" Sakura looked disappointed at the fact. She was feeling guilty that there were not many things she could help them with.

Smiling in understanding at the girl, Fai began to pull some of the notes off the board. "We can take these notes for Kuro-bon and Syaoran to see. Who knows, maybe we can find some good job~"

"Hey, Sir!" Fai and Sakura turned to the fruit merchant that had a stand near the board. "You're looking for a job? I don't think that you can do most of that. No offense but you looks so thin!"

"Ahahahahaha~ Maybe, but I think I can at least try," Fai laughed.

"You really need a job, huh? If you're interested, I heard Lord Suwa is searching for someone to work in his mansion's kitchen. His chef has just retired to live with his son and his family," the merchant said.

"Fai-san can cook! All of his cooking are so delicious~!" Sakura said enthusiastically.

"Why, thank you, Sakura-chan~"

"Then you have to try to apply for that job! Lord Suwa is a much respected man in the city. He's a very decent master from what his worker said," the merchant said again.

"Yeah. He always treats his workers kindly. His maids always have good things to say about him," another merchant from nearby stand added. Someone was eavesdropping. "You better be hurry. There's many of people who are interested in the job."

"Huuum~ Lord Suwa, huh~," Fai pondered.

_**~ page break~**_

"We're home!" Fai and Sakura said brightly as they walked into the house. Well, Fai walked, Sakura stumbled.

"Welcome home~!" Mokona greeted them just as bright.

"Welcome, Sakura-hime, Fai-san! I'm so worried when I didn't find both of you this morning," Syaoran immediately came over to help his princess with the groceries.

"Yeah! Syaoran was so worried. He nearly ran out of the house to search for Fai and Sakura, but Daddy stopped him and said that you just went out for a bit~ It's so funny seeing Syaoran running in the air while Daddy's holding him~!" Mokona reported, getting a blushing Syaoran as a result.

"I'm so sorry, Syaoran-kun. Fai-san and I go to the market in town to buy something for breakfast," Sakura said in regret for making the boy worried. "How are you this morning?"

Syaoran smiled kindly. "I'm fine, Sakura-hime~ We spent the morning to clean up the place a bit."

Mokona jumped onto the kitchen counter and began to check the bags. "Do you find something for breakfast? Mokona is so hungry~!"

"Well~ We did some shopping. Just wait a minute while I make some breakfast. What do you want for breakfast, Mokona?"

"Pancakeee~!" Mokona cheered loudly.

"Pancake it is, then," Fai said as he began to prepare the ingredients he needed. "Do you want to help me, Sakura-chan?"

"Yes, please, Fai-san~!" Sakura answered excitedly.

Looking around, Fai raised an eyebrow. "By the way, where is Kuro-puppy? I didn't hear his growls at all since we get home."

As if on cue, Kurogane stepped out of the bathroom, wearing only a pair of black pants. His muscular body was still glistening wet from the water. He was not looking at them as he was busy drying his hair with a towel.

Fai gasped softly at the sight. His heart beat faster and cheeks flushed a delicate shade of pink. All this time Fai had always secretly admiring his dark teammate. Physically, the man was hot with his strong and muscular body. He had a handsome face with spiky black hair and bright red eyes that were so intense not many people could look at him in the eyes while talking. If only he was not so intimidating, Fai was sure the man could get any lover he wanted. That was why Fai was glad it wasn't the case.

Personality wise, Kurogane was fierce and strong but, deep down, had a kind heart and was just a big softy. Over their journey, there was a tentative bond forming between him and the ninja. It was irritating every time the other man saw through his lies and smiles but it also made Fai felt warm in his stomach that the man knew him that well.

There were also those times the other man saved his life, even when he wished for the opposite. With time, Fai began to change without his knowledge. Until Kurogane told him at Piffle that is.

It was then that Fai realized that Kurogane was right. Ever since he was on this journey, seeing how the kids fought for what they believed in, how no matter what happened they would never give up, how they changed and became more mature every time. They changed something inside the mage, too.

But the one that changed him the most was not the children. It was the dark guardian in their group that changed him the most, even if Fai was not able to let go of the past yet. The past he had never told anyone before.

Before he realized it, he was less suicidal and didn't deliberately find a way to harm himself anymore. He felt happy and content every time their little group acted like a family with him being a part of it, like nothing in the worlds could tear them apart. Then he began to have these overwhelming fluffly feelings when he and Kurogane became closer, especially when they were in Yasha Clan's country. He felt agitated and bitter inside every time Kurogane showed his devotion towards his Princess Tomoyo.

It was within their time with the Yasha Clan that he realized what this feeling he had for Kurogane was. As cliché as it sounded; the tall, dark and mysterious appearance was also enticing to the mage.

Fai shook his head furiously, trying to get a hold of himself before the other man, and the children, look and find out about his silly little crush. Despite the bond they had formed between them, Fai doubted Kurogane would return his feelings.

"Ah! So there you are, Kuro-puppy~" Fai said cheerily with a bright, half fake smile as he continued to prepare their breakfast.

"I'm not a puppy, you air-head! And I'm not growling!" Kurogane growled, betraying his own words. Oops, he heard that one.

"He's growling!" Mokona exclaimed. "Kuro-puppy is groooowling~," Mokona said again in a sing-song voice.

"Shut up, you pork bun!" Kurogane growled again, grabbing Mokona and pressed the poor thing with two hands until it resembled unbaked bread dough.

"Aaaaw~ Kuro-puppy is so meaaan~!" Mokona wailed pitifully, struggling to get free from his cruel captor.

"I'm not a puppy!" Kurogane shouted in anger. He threw Mokona away as strong as he could. Mokona fell right into Sakura's arms with a loud squeal from the princess and shout of "Abuse!" from Mokona.

"Don't be so violent, Kuro-chan," Fai chided playfully, "Especially to Mokona. Mokona have been working so hard to transport us in our travels, haven't you, Mokona?"

"Yes! Mokona deserve kindness from Kurogane!" Mokona said mockingly in a haughty tone.

"What a spoiled brat," Kurogane scoffed but he left the white bun alone and went to the bedroom, he refused to think it as his and Fai's room, only to come out a minute later, dressed in a simple shirt and suspender.

"Okay, time for breakfast~" Fai announced.

"Yaay~ breakfast!" Mokona cheered.

"Oh! Syaoran-kun, these are for you and Kurorin~" Fai said as he handed the notes he got earlier from the information board.

"Huh?" Syaoran-kun looked at the notes and began to read.

"What is it?" Kurogane asked as he looked over the boy's head.

"Seems like some job information. This is good, Kurogane-san. We can go to see if we can get some of this job today~," Syaoran replied. Kurogane grunted.

"Nope!" Fai waved a butter knife at the boy, "Syaoran-kun has to stay with Sakura-chan because I kind of have an interview for a job too~ This way, Syaoran-kun and Sakura-chan can search for information about the feather while Mommy and Daddy go to work~"

"Is that really alright, Fai-san?" Syaoran asked, looking bashful.

"It's okay, Syaoran-kun~," Fai assured him.

"Why do you give him the notes if you don't want to him to work then? And what kind of job you want to get, mage? I doubt you can work without getting into troubles."

"Aaaaw~ Is Daddy worry for Mommy?" Fai asked teasingly, leaning dramatically against Kurogane's side. "Daddy should sleep with Mommy in bed last night instead on the floor then~ That way, Daddy can protect Mommy in the night and Mommy can give him a reaaally good time in return~"

Syaoran blushed furiously while Sakura tilted her head to the side in confusion. Kurogane also went red at that statement, whether in embarrassment or anger, they didn't know.

"STOP TALKING LIKE THAT!" he roared and chased after Fai as the mage jumped away from him the second he exploded. "How many times I told you that I'm nobody's Daddy? Especially when you're the Mommy!"

"Nyaahahahahaha~" Fai just laughed merrily like a hyena.

Sakura and Syaoran sweat-dropped at the all-too-familiar sight of the big ninja chasing after the laughing mage. Mokona ignored the ruckus in favor of the pancake, stealing a slice from Kurogane's plate discreetly. Then, Sakura giggled as she observed Fai and Kurogane's interaction.

"Fai-san really likes Kurogane-san, isn't he?" Sakura smiled.

"Huh?!" Syaoran turned to her in surprise and confuse.

When breakfast was finished, the two adults in the group went on their way to apply for a job. The children wished them a good luck while waving good-bye at them.

As Fai and Kurogane went to opposite directions, Sakura and Syaoran were looking at them until they were gone from sight.

"What must we do now, Syaoran-kun? Fai-san and Kurogane-san have gone to get a job, and we don't have anything to do," Sakura asked.

"Syaoran and Sakura can go to a date~!" Mokona suggested loudly. Syaoran choked on his own spit while Sakura blushed when they heard it.

Syaoran gulped. "How about we take a walk around here to see if there's some information about the feather?" he said with a red face.

"That's a good idea, Syaoran-kun~!"

"Chicken~" Mokona whispered from Syaoran's shoulder, making the poor boy choked again.

_**~ page break~**_

In another place in a large mansion, a man dressed in a tailcoat walked down the corridor towards a large double door. He knocked at the door and after hearing a "Come in!" from inside, he grabbed the handle and opened the door.

"Master…," he greeted.

Another man was sitting behind a large desk in front of the window inside what appeared to be a study room. He was sitting facing the window. Only the back of his chair could be seen from where his butler was standing.

"What is it?" the master asked.

"It seems the order has been given, Master. Here is the official letter," the man reported, placing the letter on his master's desk.

"Well… If it's official now, then we have a party to plan to 'celebrate' it, right?"

"I'll arrange it as soon as possible, My Lord."

Lord Suwa grunted. He didn't see his butler bowed to his back and left the room. His sharp red eyes were looking into the distance outside the window. His entire expression was full of determination.

**~ End of Chapter 01 ~**

**Please excuse any error you find in my English in the story. I know they're not good enough but I keep learning~ xD**


	3. Chapter 02 Kurogane Suwa

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle or any of its characters. If I do, Kurogane and Fai would hook up a long time ago.**

**CHAPTER 02 – KUROGANE SUWA**

**Kurogane POV**

"That idiotic mage! Why all these job offers are grunt work? Does he think that I'm all muscles with no brain?! I'll show it to him if he really thinks like that!" Kurogane grumbled as he stalked down the street at the shopping district.

He was looking at a handmade map a kind old lady at the flower shop had drew for him, when he asked for a direction to the harbor. He looked up to see where his current location was and compared it with the map. The street's name was the right one or at least he thought it was, comparing all the letters from the paper in his hand with the one on the street post.

Hm? Kurogane didn't look up again when he felt someone was watching him. Years of training had taught him that it was wiser to make his enemy oblivious to the fact that he was aware he was being watched. He strained his senses and was immediately confused.

He glanced up to find a couple of young ladies looking at him. They turned away immediately with a blush and began to whisper to each other and giggling softly, stealing glances at him all the time. Not just that, he found that some other people did the same thing too. There were older ladies smiling and waving at him. Several men smiled and nodded politely in respect from their place.

"What the? Why are they staring at me like that?" the ninja thought, annoyed.

"Good morning, Lord Suwa," a young man greeted with a wide smile and awe in his eyes as he passed by.

"What?!" Kurogane was stunned.

"Lord Suwa!" Another man called out as he ran towards the confused ninja, "I want to thank you about your help with my business last month. It's doing really good! I can send you the reports in three days once my accountant finished them."

"What the hell are you talking about, old man?!" Kurogane asked rudely.

"Huh?" The man looked startled and confused.

Whatever Kurogane or the man wanted to say was cut off by one of the young ladies from before as she approached them. She gave Kurogane a sweet and beautiful smile.

"Lord Suwa," she said, "I'd like to invite you to dinner with my family to thank you for…"

"What the hell, Lady?" Kurogane exclaimed, startling the lady and the man in front of him for the second time, "I'm not Lord Suwa! You got the wrong person here!"

"What?" The man looked very confused. "But, My Lord…"

"Lord Suwa, what's wrong?" Another young lady approached them.

Kurogane growled. His patience was wearing thin. "Are you all deaf?! I said I'm not your Lord Suwa! Now get the hell out of my way!"

And with that, people started scurrying away from the angry man.

_**~ page break~**_

**Fai POV**

The mansion was big; Fai was sure as he looked at the huge gate of the mansion. The front yard, from what he could see, was large with a tiny fountain; tiny because it was located in front of the mansion far away from the gate. That was how large the front yard was.

When he told the guards that he was there to apply for a job in the kitchen, they looked skeptical at first but one of them went and fetched someone to escort him anyway. A maid with short and curly light blond hair and big glasses came and escort him to the mansion.

He was kind of curious about this Lord Suwa since many people in the market agreed on one thing about the man. He was a kind and respected man but not easy to befriend. What kind of a kind-hearted man that was difficult to befriend?

Stepping inside the mansion, Fai understood why the guards doubting his reason for being there. There were several other applicants for the job waiting at the entrance hall. Most of them looked like a professional chef and had a snobby attitude while several others had plain appearance but looked competent enough and suited to work in the kitchen, no offense intended.

Fai, on the other hand, didn't look like either of them. He knew that his physical appearance alone, despite being common enough in this world, gave off an aristocratic aura. Nothing can be done about it. He blamed his royal blood for it. His attitude was also too playful and easy-going to be a professional, even if it was only as a chef. But, hey, he's still a great cook according to outside sources. He ignored the fact that said outside sources were mostly his own little adopted family.

Fuu, the maid that was escorting him, explained to him that he would wait with the other applicants. He needed to fill some information form about himself. Fai, being Fai, filled the form half-seriously. He did answer truthfully about his job experience. Surely being a chef in his own pretty popular café, before it was destroyed in a fight, would look appealing.

When Fuu read his form, she had this funny look on her face. Not that Fai could blame her. Some of the things he wrote down were pretty unbelievable, if not downright ridiculous. He guessed that he could do better and wrote something more sensible in his form but, hey, what was the fun in that?

So, he just smiled brightly and innocently at the girl and any protest the girl had died immediately. She went on her confused way and gathered all of the applicants' forms and left them waiting with two guards watching them.

While waiting, Fai took a chance to look around freely. Lord Suwa was wealthy all right. The ornaments that were decorating the walls, doors, stairs, even the ceilings were works of art. The furniture was made of expensive woods and materials, Fai thought as he examined the chair he was sitting on. There were also ceramic collections that were decorating many sides and corners.

Fifteen minutes later, Fuu came back and began to call out the names of the applicants one by one and escorted them to wherever she was taking them to for an interview. Fai got his turn around an hour later. He was also the last applicant in the room.

"This Lord Suwa is really something, huh?" Fai said as he looked around. Fuu, who was walking in front of him, smiled.

"You must be new in this city if you don't know about Lord Suwa. He is the head of one of the noble families in this Laguna Kingdom that live in Britanny City. The Suwa Family is one of the most successful and they have blood relations to the royalty. Our master is the 10th successor to the throne."

"Hyuuuuu~ That is so cool~!"

Fuu smiled at him even though she was confused at his 'hyuuuu~'. When they arrived in front of a large double door, Fuu knocked loudly. "Master, this is Fuu. I bring the last guy that comes for the job in the kitchen," she announced.

"Come in!" a deep familiar voice answered from inside.

Fai looked confused for a second. "Huh? That voice…"

Fuu opened the door that lead into a study room. When he entered the room, Fai suddenly knew why Lord Suwa was difficult to befriend despite being kind and respected by many. There, behind a large wooden desk, sat a man that looked very familiar with his short-spiky raven hair and intense red eyes.

"Kurorin?!" Fai was unable to hold back his shock. The man in question looked equally shocked at the nickname. So did the other man in tailcoat that stood beside him and looked just as familiar. "And Shougo-san too!"

"I beg your pardon?" Lord Suwa asked confused.

Shougo raised an eyebrow. "Do I know you, sir?"

Excited, Fai suddenly jumped in front of the desk with a chesire grin on his face as he inspecting the lord like a lab rat.

"Wow~ I've been curious for a while now, but I never really think this day will come. Another Kuro-pon~!" Fai said happily in amazement.

"What are you talking about?" Lord Suwa demanded in annoyed tone.

Fuu hurriedly pulled Fai away from her lord. "Please don't be rude, Fai-san! I apologize, My Lord. I don't know what he means by addressing you like that."

"Nah~ I'm the one who should apologize. I'm just a bit surprised, that's all~," Fai waved at her, still with an excited grin on his face.

"Master, do I have to ask the guard to…," Shougo whispered.

"No, it's okay… maybe."

Lord Suwa cleared his throat. "So…," his eyes narrowed at Fai, "You want to apply for the job. I'm Lord Kurogane Suwa. You may call me Lord Suwa. Why don't you take a seat and introduce yourself and tell me what you can do?"

"Wow~ Even their first name is the same. Though, I think it's expected," Fai thought inwardly, sitting in the chair in front of the desk.

"My name is Fai D. Flowright. I'm new in this city. My skills are depending on the job you have for me. Since I heard that you need someone in the kitchen, I've been told I'm a pretty good cook~"

Lord Suwa raised an eyebrow at his answer. "Is that so? It said here in your form that you had your own café once."

"Yup!" Fai answered. "It was pretty popular, too~"

The man stole several glances at Fai as he read his form. He frowned here and there a bit. In the end, he didn't say anything. Fai assumed he either decided to ignore what was in his form or, like Kurogane, he could read right through Fai and knew half of the information was a prank.

"Well, I'm going to give you, along with the other applicants, some test. I hope that's not a problem."

"Not at all, Kuro-chan~!" Fuu gasped at the nickname while Shougo tried to hold back his smile. Lord Suwa, on the other hand, did not look amused at all. Judging from the vein popped on his forehead.

"Show him the way to the kitchen, Fuu. Shougo, you will monitor all of their works," Lord Suwa ordered.

"Yes, My Lord," Fuu and Shougo replied respectfully.

"And you," he pointed to Fai, "The others are waiting in the kitchen. Make me some samples of any dishes you know. I want you to finish it by the time for lunch."

"Right away, Kuro-tan~," Fai saluted him, earning him another popped vein from the lord, another gasp from Fuu and a soft chuckle from Shougo. Fai turned to Fuu and asked, "Shall we go, then?"

"Y-yes! Of course, Fai-san," Fuu replied.

_**~ page break~**_

Lunch time came sooner than Fai expected. All of them were assigned to make three dishes each; appetizer, main course, and dessert. They didn't have to serve any drink since Shougo would serve it himself.

Fai had no idea what menu that was most common in this world. He thought about Lord Suwa. He was still amazed that there really was another version of his teammate. It was one thing to see many versions of their new friends in each world they visited but never before had they encountered another version of their own group members.

He wondered what Kurogane's reaction would be if he meets Lord Suwa. Fai couldn't help the smile that bloomed on his face. The possibility of the two men to meet each other was making him giddy. He would have so much fun.

But…how many the similarity were between the two men? Was Lord Suwa exactly like his ninja counterpart or was there any difference between them? Hummm~ He was curious. Maybe he should keep this discovery a secret for now.

Was there another version of Syaoran and Sakura in this world, too? Or himself? The last one made Fai's inside turned cold. Was there another version of himself in this world? If so, did he also born with a twin?

Fai shuddered at the thought. He shook his head violently and forced himself to focus on the task at hand.

In the end, since he didn't know what Lord Suwa liked to eat, Fai decided to make the food he knew was Kurogane's favorite. He had just finished the last touch of his dessert when Shougo announced their time was up.

One by one, the applicants were called to the dining room with their dishes. Fai, as he was the last one, tried to make a conversation with someone to keep himself from being bored.

The girl that was standing next to him was another applicant. She was a pretty girl and Fai had already met this girl a couple of times in other worlds. Her name was Primera. If he remembered it right, she was supposed to be Shougo's girlfriend. She did try to steal a glance or two at the butler whenever she could, though. It seemed that relationship had not happen in this world yet.

"So, Primera-chan~," Fai said.

"Yes, Fai-san?"

"Why do you apply for this job? I don't think you're a professional cook or in need for a job," since your dress is too nice to show any need for money, Fai added the last one in his mind.

"Why do you ask, Fai-san? How can you tell?"

"Just curious. So, am I right? Why, then?" Fai tilted his head curiously with a smile.

Primera opened her mouth to say something but closed it again immediately when Shougo came into the kitchen and called another applicant. Her eyes trained on his figure again until he was out of sight. Her cheeks were painted pink.

Fai smiled secretly. So, that was the reason, huh? It seemed even in this world, Primera and Shougo would be together.

"Is Shougo-san your boyfriend?" Fai asked again innocently, earning a wild blush from Primera.

She shook her head furiously. "I wish," she said. "We're childhood friends. And he insisted that that is what we would ever be. I don't want to give up, though. I'm here to prove him wrong!" Her fists were clenched tightly in front of her chest. Fai swore he could see fire blazing in her eyes and the background.

He chuckled at her answer. "That's the spirit," he said, "I'm sure you could do it."

"Thank you, Fai-san!" Primera said with a happy smile.

The next name Shougo called was Primera's. There was a twitch on his left eyebrow when he saw her but she only smiled widely at him. With a sigh, he led her to the dining room. Primera turned and winked at Fai, mouthing, "Wish me luck!" Fai grinned and waved.

Nearly an hour later, Fai's name was called. Fai was grateful of himself that he thought of keeping a static charm on his dishes to keep it from going cold or bad. It was just a very simple charm that didn't even need a spell. There was no way Ashura-ou could locate him with that nearly unnoticeable charm from worlds away. Well, he hoped so.

So here he was, standing to the side with Lord Suwa sitting at the head of the table and Shougo standing on his other side. Looking at his face, Fai was glad with his choice of dishes.

The man hid a grimace when Shougo pushed the tray closer; he looked like he was going to throw up. That was a rare expression on Kurogane's face. But, after all of the heavy and greasy meals he saw the other applicants made earlier, Fai couldn't blame him. No matter how delicious they were, you can only eat so much grease in one day, let alone one time. He was also sure the man had eaten more than enough lunch.

Now, he understood why they were not asked to make a drink. Imagined what concoctions they would come up with to impressed the man. He would end up in the hospital for sure. Fai shuddered at the thought of drink hot coffee, iced tea, milkshake, alcoholic blend and other kind of drinks in a row. Now, it was Fai's turn that felt like throwing up.

Lord Suwa raised an eyebrow at the fruit kabobs appetizer and looked at him.

"I thought you would like it," Fai smiled. "You know, after all of that grease and sugar."

"Simple, but thoughtful," Shougo commented. "It's also looks like fun that you don't have to use a knife and fork."

"Thank you," Fai said.

"Am I not supposed to be the one who make a comment here?" Lord Suwa sent a look at his butler.

"Of course, My Lord," Shougo bowed with a tiny smirk.

"You have to know since these essentially are just fruits on stick, there's not much I can say about your cooking skill," Lord Suwa said, but Fai found that he bit into the fruits heartily. And quite fast with a sense of relief, as if trying to get rid all the taste of those greases.

"I know," Fai replied with a smile.

"Extra point for the thoughtful part and creativity in how to serve the fruits, though. They're lovely," Shougo commented again.

Lord Suwa glared at his butler while Fai smiled brightly at him again. The young lord only ate two sticks of the kabobs before he move on with the main course. Fai thought he must be stuffed from all of those dishes from earlier. He wondered what happen to the leftovers.

The main course was back to greasy stuff, even if it was only a bit. It was curry rice. Fai found out that Kurogane loved the meal when he was in Nihon. Now, Fai always tried to make some for the ninja whenever he could, since not all of the worlds they visited had the ingredients.

Lord Suwa looked surprise at the meal. It was simple, Fai knew that. But since Kurogane loved it, he hoped Lord Suwa would too. That certainly would give him extra points.

"You know how to cook curry rice?" he asked.

"Yes. I take it you like it?" Fai asked back with a soft smile.

Lord Suwa smiled back at him. Fai blinked. Kurogane never smiled like that. It was either a smirk or a fierce and smug grin from the ninja.

"I love it. I used to ask my mother to make them everyday," Lord Suwa said. "None of my chef could make it taste like my mother's curry rice."

"Maybe it was a secret family recipe," Fai suggested.

Fai knew he didn't have to ask about the man's mother. It was clear from the way the man spoke that his mother had passed away, probably a long time ago. But now that he mentioned it, Fai became curious about the man's parents. Was his father still around? Were they the same parents as Kurogane's? Not that he knew about the ninja's family. Did Kurogane have a family back in Nihon?

Lord Suwa just smiled and ate a spoonful of the meal. He hummed in appreciation. Fai waited in anticipation.

"It's delicious," Lord Suwa praised. Fai let out a breath he didn't realize he held.

The last one was dessert, if you could call them that. To the other two men in the room, they were works of art. The plate was filled with adorable tiny cakes in various forms and colors; such as bunny, cherry blossom flower, seashell, beautiful decorated pouch, and several others.

They were beautiful, cute and very creative. Lord Suwa held his breath as he looked at them. He recognized them. He picked one of the cakes and ate them with little bites, savoring the texture, the taste.

"These are traditional desserts from Edo Country, just like the curry rice was a recipe from there. I used to live in Edo when I was a child," Lord Suwa said after he swallowed the cake. "How do you know I would like it?"

"I didn't," Fai replied, "I just hope. You reminded me of a friend of mine. You two are so alike, or at least I think so, and since he loves curry rice and the cakes, I thought maybe you would, too."

"A friend, huh?" Shougo smirked at him; he had caught the soft and wistful look on Fai's face when he talked about this 'friend of his'. Lord Suwa seemed to understand his implication and followed with his own smirk. Now, he was definitely Kurogane's alternate twin all right.

Fai flushed a light shade of pink but hide his nervousness with a cheeky grin.

"Nice," Lord Suwa said as he poked a cherry with his spoon. "Aside from your appetizer, which tastes marvelous because of the quality of the ingredients in the first place, you made very delicious curry rice. And the desserts are also delicious, remind me of my childhood."

He took another cake and examined them. "You also showed a brilliant creativity and skill in decorating the dishes. But I want you to tell me, instead of the other professional chefs with their licenses, why should I hire you?"

Fai pondered the question, one finger tapping lightly on his chin. Why? Because he needed a job while he and his group stayed in this world. Because he wanted to spend more time with Kurogane's alternate twin and found out what were their similarities and differences. Because it was fun. Fai doubted those were the answers Lord Suwa wanted, though.

Instead, he said, "Because even if it's nice to eat delicious and high class cuisines all the time, you could become bored sometimes and want to eat something more simple and homey like curry rice, maybe?"

Lord Suwa stared at him. Fai met his eyes and didn't look away. He felt his heart rate quickened. Those eyes were just as intense as another same pair of eyes he knew well. Fai licked his lips. The young lord's eyes immediately followed the movement and stayed at the sight of the pink lips. Fai felt himself colored slightly, again.

"So, did I get the job, Kurorin?" Fai asked, ruining the moment. Lord Suwa twitched at the nickname; eyes looked up at him with a glare while Shougo gave a suspicious cough with a smile he tried to hide.

"Yes, you get the job, Mr.…"

"Just Fai is fine~," Fai cut him off.

Lord Suwa twitched again at being interrupted. "As I said, you get the job. But I have to ask you to refrain yourself with those ridiculous nicknames you gave me. No matter how good you are with your job, I don't appreciate being call with such nonsense and I wouldn't hesitate to fire you if you can't follow this rule," he said with warning in his eyes.

But Fai was used to being warned and threatened by his ninja so he didn't so much as bat an eyelash at what the lord had said. Didn't mean he couldn't lose his job before he even started, though.

"I understand, Lord Suwa," he replied.

Lord Suwa nodded, satisfied. "You may start working tomorrow. You would not be my master chef, I already hired another man for that," he smirked at Fai as the mage raised his eyebrows at that.

"I'm going to throw a big party in three weeks. I need as many people as I could get for the works that need to be done. After that, some of you would be fired, I regret to say. But I can give you another job or recommend you to another place you want if you happen to be the one I fired later," he explained. "For now, you can go home and pack your things to move in the mansion."

"Ah," Fai interrupted, raising a hand. "Lord Suwa, do all of your workers stayed in the mansion?"

"Yes. They stay at the north building, behind the mansion. It's easier this way so I can just call whenever I need them. And they have the weekend free if they wanted to visit their family at home."

"If you don't mind, I want to be able to work here without moving in. You see, I have family that needs me at home, in daily basis."

Lord Suwa stared at him again, considering the request.

"This mansion is a bit far from the city, if there's no problem for you to get to work in time then you may do as you wish. But I need you to be able to stay at the night of the party. You can start working tomorrow at seven and go home at six in the evening everyday."

Fai smiled gratefully at him. This way, he could still help searching for Sakura's feather. "Thank you, Lord Suwa. I'll see you tomorrow, then."

With that, Fai was escorted out of the mansion by Fuu. Unbeknownst to him, Lord Suwa was watching as he trotted down the pathway in the yard, chatting merrily with the maid.

"Shougo…"

"Yes, My Lord?"

"Do I look like a Kurorin or a Kuro-chan?" he asked with an incredulous tone in his voice. Like he didn't believe anyone could called him that.

Shougo let out a snort that turned into a chuckle. "I think Fai-san is just an overly friendly person and loves to give nicknames to people he met. It's amusing, though."

"Humm…" Silence. "Do I even look like a Kuropon?"

Shougo sweat-dropped.

_**~page break~**_

"Kurogane-san, dinner is ready," Syaoran called.

Sakura and Mokona was singing and humming to together as they prepared the table for dinner. Kurogane came out of the bedroom while in the middle of progress to wear his shirt. His hair was still damp from his bath.

"Dinner is ready, Kurogane-san~," Sakura told him again.

Kurogane grunted. He looked at Syaoran, Sakura and Mokona, and then he looked around. "Where is the mage? He hasn't come back yet?"

Syaoran shook his head. "No, Fai-san hasn't come back, yet."

"I wonder what's make him out so late. I hope nothing's happen to Fai-san…," Sakura said softly, looking worried.

"I'm sure Fai-san is fine, Hime," Syaoran said trying to reassured her.

"Knowing him, something might have happen. But then again, he can take care of himself," Kurogane said as he took a seat at the table.

Suddenly, the front door was slammed open with loud squeal from the door's attacker, surprising everyone in the room, especially Kurogane since he was the one that get tackled into a hug not a second later.

"Whyyyyy~ Kuro-tan has so much faith in me~ Mommy is so happy~," Fai exclaimed happily.

"Idiot! Can't you knock the door first?!" Kurogane barked, trying to shove the smaller man away.

"Welcome back, Fai-san~!" Sakura and Syaoran greeted at the same time. They looked at each other in surprise then looked away with a blush on their faces.

Mokona jumped and tackled Fai into a hug, too. "Fai, you're so late~ What are you doing all day?"

"Oh, after the job interview, I decided to take a walk and get some interesting information about my new boss. That Lord Suwa is reaaaally awesome~ I can't help but want to know a little about him~"

"Your new boss? Fai-san, you get the job! Kurogane-san gets a job at the harbor today, too! This is so great! I'm happy for you!" Syaoran congratulated him excitedly.

Fai smiled a wide mischievous smile. "Yep, Syaoran-kun! I'll start working tomorrow in this reaaaaaly big and cool kitchen! And I don't even have to stay in the mansion when I ask while all the other workers have to." He turned to Kurogane who was still in his arms, failing to get free. "Congratz for your job, Kuro-tan~"

"Hmph!" Kurogane struggled again, "Now let go of me!"

"Oh, I'm so happy for you, Fai-san. This way we can still search the feather together~ This Lord Suwa is very kind~," Sakura clapped her hands in excitement.

"Tsk! Whatever! He's probably just some old, fat and stuck up guy with old money that he inherited instead of earned them himself!" Kurogane grumbled as he ate his dinner.

"My my, are you jealous, Daddy?" Fai said teasingly, poking the ninja in the arm. "Don't worry, Mommy will never cheat on you~"

With that, he kissed Kurogane on the cheek and then leaped away out of reach before Kurogane could explode. The big ninja choked on his food while the children was blushing at the kiss, Mokona was singing "Mommy and Daddy sitting in a tree~"

"Who did you say jealous?! Stop that nonsense already!" Kurogane roared with a red face as he made a move to catch the mage.

"Ohohohoho~" Fai laughed heartily as he danced into the safety of the bathroom.

**~ End of Chapter 02 ~**


	4. Chapter 03 The Party Plan

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle or any of its characters. If I do, Kurogane and Fai would hook up a long time ago.**

**CHAPTER 03 – PARTY PLAN**

Working at Suwa Mansion certainly was an interesting experience for Fai. He got lost a couple of times in the mansion before he find the kitchen and that was only because he was fortunate enough to bumped into Fuu. It was a fit to get lost really, considering he used to live in a castle.

Fortunately for him, Fuu was kind enough to give him a simple map of the mansion so he wouldn't get lost again. And by simple, he really meant it by a simple drawing of the mansion from the gate right away to the kitchen with little note about how many turns or which ways he needed to take. No other room was included in the map. Well, he could understand that. He was still a stranger after all.

The funny thing was as Fai looked at the map, he found out that the kitchen was located at the left side of the back of the mansion with a back door, so he didn't really need the map after that. Just walked around the building and tadaaa~!

Fai giggled at his own thought. He should have realized that at the last interview but he guessed he was too distracted with the fact there was another Kurogane in this world, that he didn't notice any other things.

Anyway, like Fai thought before, working at the mansion was an interesting experience because his coworkers were amusing. Most of the maids were friendly, though, except for the old senior maid, she looked stern but not a bad person.

Some of the new and professional chefs were kind of annoying because of how snobbish they were. They sneered a lot at him, though Fai had no idea why. Fortunately, the new master chefs were one of the friendly ones.

It seemed that there were two master chefs chosen to work at the mansion. At least, until the party, that is. Fai doubted that Lord Suwa was the type that needed many chefs to feed him. One of them was responsible for heavy meals and the likes, this job fell onto a man called Ma Yau. The other one was responsible of desserts and pastries, a man named Hiroyasu Ueda was chosen for this particular job.

It turned out Ma Yau-san was the man Lord Suwa chose personally for the master chef position. He didn't even apply for the job. Apparently, he was a pretty famous chef. He was kind of awkward and a bit grumpy at first glance, but he always trying to be friendly towards his fellow coworkers. However, because he was a man obsessed with his job, he was very strict when it came to cooking and tended to shout at anyone he saw incompetent, terrifying all of his juniors and caused some of the more snobbish chefs in the kitchen to hate him.

Ueda-san was usually the one who tried to calm him down. He was the opposite of Ma Yau-san when it came to work. Oh, he took his responsibility to his work very seriously, all right, but he was also very patient with everyone. He was chosen as the second master chef upon Ma Yau-san's request.

One of the interesting things in the mansion was the relationships between some of the workers. Like how Shougo-san always pivoted and walked to the opposite direction every time Primera-chan came into view and how the girl would pouted and then chased him with her fiery spirit.

There was also the head of security of the mansion, Seishirou-san. Fai was shocked when he saw him the first time and instantly on guard, in case a fight would break out. But then he realized he couldn't feel any magical power from him, Fai might not be able to sense Sakura's feather from a large distance like Mokona, but he had been around the feathers enough to know the magical signature, meaning he was not the Seishirou they had met in Outo. Fai relaxed after that.

Anyway, Fai found that this Seishirou-san was just as creepy as the one he met before and had a very interesting relationship with a kid called Subaru. The kid was a student and worked at the mansion as Shougo-san's assistant to pay for his education. He worked at the mansion at the same hour as Fai's and went to his night classes after that. Seishirou-san always insisted to escort him to and back from his classes, saying that he wanted to make sure Subaru-kun safe. Personally, Fai just thought that he loved to bully the poor kid so much – it was his weird way to show his feelings to the kid – that's why he stole any chance he gets.

Subaru-kun was just as weird as Seishirou-san's way to show his feelings. The kid was torn between wanting to be as close as possible to the older man and to run away into the opposite direction from said older man. And even though he protested against Seishirou-san's bullying and often nearly in tears because of him – Seishirou-san said that Subaru-kun was the cutest when he cries, creepy – the kid had this aura of happiness every time he was near the older man, even when he wanted to run away from his bullying.

That's why Fai said he was weird. Well, they completed each other, though. Fai wondered what would happen if the Seishirou-san from Outo meet his Subaru-kun. He was searching for him after all. A vampire Subaru-kun. With a vampire Seishirou-kun who possessed Sakura's feather. Fai shuddered. Chaos, they would be.

One thing for sure, Fai didn't know if he could hate the Seishirou-san from back then now. He had already seen another side of the man and realized that he only wanted to find and being close to his most important person in the world. Just like Syaoran-kun to Sakura-chan and Kurorin to Tomoyo-hime… Fai shook his head furiously to get rid of those thoughts. But no matter how much he tried, he couldn't get rid of the pang he felt in his heart.

As interesting as his coworkers were, the most interesting Fai found to be was of course the master of the mansion. Sadly, Fai didn't have much chance to see him so far. He was getting very curious inside, more than he had ever felt. That was not good. It meant that Fai would take matter into his own hands soon and went over to search for the young lord. Probably doing something stupid and get into trouble in the progress.

_**~ page break~**_

It was three in the afternoon; everyone in the kitchen didn't have any work. At time like this, all of the chefs were gathered in a discussion by Shougo-san. It was about the party plan.

The party was going to be huge. Many noble families and politicians were invited; there were also the foreign delegations. It was also going to be held in honor of one of the foreign delegations.

Foreign cuisines were going to be served in the party as well as the local ones. They were told about every plan that involved the kitchen. Some snacks and pastries would be served in buffet style so all of the guests could relax and interacting with each other, building friendships and connections or chatting merrily about the latest gossips. Everyone chuckled at the last part, Ma Yau-san excluded – he scoffed.

Meanwhile, the maids and servants would act as waitresses and waiters bringing and offering drinks and snack to everyone that was too preoccupied with their acquaintances. There would be a music band to provide background music everyone would ignore until the dinner party start.

After all of the guests arrived, Shougo would gave them some signal to start the party. Lord Suwa would give some speech, which Fai was sure he hated to do, and welcome their guest of honor, the main star of the party. By that time, all of the appetizers have to be ready to be served. All waitresses and waiters had to stand by and bring all of the food to each table they were assigned to serve. Everything had to be served in sequence like the plans.

After that, the music band would get the chance to shine after being ignored before the party, singers would come out and sing to impress and entertain everyone. The more Fai listened to Shougo's explanation; the more he couldn't help but frowned inwardly.

The party was really huge and too glamour for Lord Suwa's style. Sure, Fai didn't really know the man but he knew his Kurogane. And if they really possessed the same soul, there was no way that this was just a party. There was something going on here. Maybe it had something to do with Sakura's feather?

Fai hummed to himself. Knowing their luck, it probably had something to do with the feather. He would discuss about this with the others once he gets home.

"Fai-san!"

The blonde haired man was startled out of his musing. He turned and found Primera-chan was glaring at him and judging but the pain in his side, she probably had gutted him with her elbow too. He heard snickers from around him and looked around. Ignoring the others, his eyes landed on Shougo who was looking at him with one raised eyebrow.

He gave him a charming smile. "Did I miss something?"

"Daydreaming in the middle of work?" Shougo asked dryly. "That's a bad idea, don't you think?"

Fai shrugged, still smiling innocently. Sighing, Shougo handed him a stack of papers which Fai accepted readily. Skimming through the content, he found out that they were a list of food names, how many they have to make, how they were going to be serve at the party, and a couple of other instructions. No wonder Ma Yau-san requested for a second master chef. There were mountains of works waiting for them in the near future. He looked up at Shougo and tilted his head in confusion.

"If you listen to what we're discussing and not daydreaming, Fai-san, you would know that all of you would be divided in several groups," Shougo explained. "Your group, Fai-san, is chosen to help Ma Yau-san and Ueda-san to make dishes from the oriental countries, mostly from Edo and Xing. You and other group leaders would be able to choose your own group members. Any question?"

Fai hummed, thinking for a bit. "Ma Yau-san and Ueda-san would be one to do the cooking, yes?"

"Not all of them. They would cook, yes. But they also would supervise all of the cooking progresses, that's when the chosen group leaders have to take over the cooking they're assigned to. Any other question?"

"Where do I can find books about oriental food? I don't know half of the dishes in this list."

Ma Yau-san groaned when he heard him while Ueda-san smiled understandingly. He was given the direction to the mansion's library where he could find books that would be useful for him. Ueda-san offered to lend him his personal notebook to help while Ma Yau-san said he would just give the right instructions in action, meaning there would be a lot of shouting for Fai. Maybe. He was a fast learner, though, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

They would start to practice to make the listed dishes everyday in turn. Today's dinner would be western cuisines for everyone in the mansion. Ma Yau-san, the ever perfectionist chef, wanted to make sure everything would be perfect for the party in three weeks, hence the practice.

_**~ page break~**_

Fai walked down the corridor of the mansion with happy springs in his steps. He had been the first one to escape from Ma Yau-san's strict training and was allowed to go to the library to look for the cooking books he needed.

Half of the other chefs looked at him in envy when he left the kitchen, while the other half – the professional and snobbish one – glared at him hatefully. It was not Fai's fault to be a fast learner. Honestly, if they were not so snobbish and stopped spending most of the time arguing with Ma Yau-san every steps of the way to proof their own skills and pride, they would have finish long before Fai did. After all, Fai didn't have any idea what he was cooking so there was no way professional chefs like them – who were originally born and raised in this world – knew about the dishes they were doing and yet had so much problems like they had in the kitchen right now.

He still had a couple of hours before he could go home so he decided to go to the library. Looking at the direction Shougo-san gave him, he soon found himself standing in a corridor full of identical elegant double doors made from some expensive wood.

"Now…Shougo-san didn't tell me which door is the library's… Guess I have to find it myself~"

With that, Fai jumped from door to door, trying to open every one of them while keep saying, "Nope. Nope. Nope. Not this one either~" at his findings. Some of the doors were locked and Fai had to peek through the key hole to see they were not the library, some was unlocked but they were just empty bedrooms and there was one music room. Fai was tempted to touch the large grand piano in the corner of the room but figured he wouldn't have much time to find the library let alone the books if he's distracted now. Well, there's always tomorrow.

Fai arrived in front of the last door at the end of the corridor – this one faced the corridor instead of lining up the side like others – and opened the door to find that it was the library. Finally.

"Find it! Hm?"

He was about to enter the library when he saw someone in the room. Fai hid outside the door, peeking through the open space. There, near the full length window, sitting in the armchair with a thick book in his hands, was Lord Kurogane Suwa.

Fai smiled widely, eyes glinting with mischief. Well~ He got to see the other Kurorin today after all~

Then he took in the scene again. "Kuro-tan's reading!" he thought, "I've never seen my Kuro-daddy reading before…well…to be honest, most of the time, we don't know the language enough to read. Maybe that's why Kurorin always bought book with many pictures like those manga from Hanshin…"

"Besides, this is Lord Suwa. Reading is one of the 'must do' things for a Lord," Fai whispered to himself.

Suddenly, Lord Suwa's gaze snapped to the door. "Who's there?!" he barked.

Fai jumped in surprise. Oops~ Once a ninja always a ninja, I guess. The blonde magician slipped through the open door with a light, innocent smile.

"It's Fai. Forgive me, Lord Suwa. I didn't mean to disturb you~," Fai said cheerily.

Lord Suwa marked the page on his book and placed it on the round coffee table in front of him. Standing up, he asked, "Do you not have work to do? What are you doing in the library?"

"To do some research, Lord Suwa," Fai replied, "My assignment for the party is to cook the meals from oriental countries. Unfortunately, I don't know most of the cuisines in my list. Shougo-san said I can find some books to help me here~"

Lord Suwa nodded. "He's right. The books on cooking and recipe books are in the farthest bookcase on the left side," he said, nodding his head to said direction.

"I don't know that a Lord like you love cooking to have an entire bookcase dedicated to it. Do you cook, Lord Suwa?' Fai teased.

Lord Suwa gave him a look before shaking his head in denial, smirking. "No. They're all my mother's books. She loved to cook and never stopped even after she became Lady Suwa."

Fai felt his heart melted at the shadow of smile and the soft expression on Lord Suwa's face. He never saw that kind of face from his Kurogane but…it suited the man. It suited his secretly big softy heart.

Lord Suwa cleared his throat uncomfortably. Fai got the feeling that he was a bit embarrassed getting caught having a sappy nostalgia moment so he didn't say anything and just smiled at the other man.

"Follow me, then. I'll help you choose the right books," Lord Suwa offered unexpectedly. "If I remember the plan correctly, you're assigned to Edo and Xing's cuisines, right?"

Fai blinked. "Yes, but you don't have to help me, Ku– Lord Suwa. I'm sure I can manage."

Lord Suwa glared at the slip. Seems like he was reminded of the ridiculous nicknames Fai gave him from before. "Follow me," he said again more firmly.

Other people would be afraid if they got the look Lord Suwa was sending Fai now. But Fai was not other people. He was the powerful and playful wizard that spent most of his time playing with fire by baiting a foul-tempered ninja who happened to be this man's alternate twin. Therefore, he just gave the lord the most innocent smile he could muster which grew in size when he got a perplexed frown in return. Clearly, Lord Suwa was not used to people who smile instead of cower under his glare.

Both men walked down to the aisle between two bookcases the corner. Lord Suwa was searching and picking book after book and either placed them back or took them with him. Fai followed obediently from behind. 'Hyuuu'-ing at everything he saw, shutting up when Lord Suwa glared at him, starting again when he looked away, getting glared at again, he kept doing it over and over again until Lord Suwa sighed heavily and ignored him. Then, Lord Suwa led them back to the reading area where his armchair and book still waiting.

"Most of these are recipe books but I got some interesting books about histories of some of the cuisines, too," Lord Suwa said, checking the books in his hand one more time before turning to look at Fai. "I hope they could help you for your assignment."

"I'm sure they would. Thank you for helping me, Lord Suwa," Fai said, smiling sincerely. Because, seriously, his Kurogane would rather die first before doing book research like this, even if that could help their search for the feather.

Lord Suwa looked at him. There was this…fascinated expression on his face that made Fai blushed a bit. Taking the books out of Lord Suwa's hand, his blush deepened when their hands were touching underneath. The touch did not last long, though, as Fai quickly took the books away. They looked at each other awkwardly. Both of them opened their mouth at the same time to say something when a loud squeals and shouts were heard from outside.

"But, Shougo~!"

"No but, Primera! Go back to your task!"

"But I want to help you!"

"I have Subaru to help me. I don't need your help!"

"Let him do my task so I can help you then. We can spend time together that way. Don't you want to spend time with me?"

"We're here to work, Primera. Not to play. Now go back to the kitchen!" With that, Shougo walked away in a very fast pace, trying to looked like he did not run away but failing.

Primera huffed indignantly and ran after him. "Shougo, wait!"

Above them, Fai chuckled at the scene they made.. Fai was startled a bit when he heard a sigh right besides his ear. He whirled around to see that Lord Suwa was also watching, leaning over his shoulder. Their eyes met briefly before Lord Suwa back away. Awkward silence fell over them.

"Interesting couple, aren't they?" Fai said cheerily, trying to hide the nervousness he felt. He didn't know why but he was usually not this awkward being close to Kurogane, but then again, there was a new and entirely different tension between him and Lord Suwa. Since when did that happen? They only met once at the interview and they were just as close as any other people who just met. Not awkward tension at all.

Lord Suwa let out a un-lord like snort. "Those two are hopeless. Correction. Shougo is hopeless. I don't understand why he doesn't just accept the girl's feeling. Their relationship is inevitable."

Fai blinked. "You know about them? This is not the first time they are like this? I thought this is the first time Primera-chan work here."

"It is," Lord Suwa confirmed. "But she'd already tried to apply for a work here eight years ago when Shougo first came here. She was ten. Of course I had to reject her application. Didn't stop her from visiting every now and then, though."

The blonde haired mage giggled at that. Yeah, he definitely can imagine that. "So, why does he not accept her then? I can see that he's interested but…"

"Must be the age difference. He's ten years older than the girl. Age difference or not, the girl is legal now. So I don't see the problem," Lord Suwa commented.

Fai grinned slyly. "Why~ I didn't know Lord Suwa interested in things like this. Wanna play matchmaker for them while you're at it?"

Lord Suwa glared at him, but the corner of his mouth twitched a bit, suppressing a smirk. Shaking his head, he said, "Nah…I have my own interest to concentrate on."

Fai tilted his head to the side, curious. Lord Suwa smirked widely at the gesture. He raked his eyes up and down Fai's figure, and then turned around. The stunned mage watched the other man picked up his book from the coffee table and left the library with it. It wasn't until the man was out of sight that Fai finally realized it.

Did Lord Suwa, Kurogane's alternate twin, just check him out? Did he just flirt with Fai?

**~ End of Chapter 03 ~**

**AN: I make Shougo so much older than Primera because this is alternate universes we're talking about. Each person might have their own alternate twins but since the time and space are not always the same, then there's always a possibility that they're born in different time. That's why this Shougo is much older than the ones we always saw in the manga. It would explain why he avoids Primera so much and gives a more interesting dynamic in their relationship. You guys have to remember, though, they're not the main pairing and would only serve as one of the interesting elements in the story.**

**Ma Yau-san is not an OC. He's a character from a TV Show I watched eleven years ago. He's a chef in that show so…**

**Anyway, sorry for taking so long to update. I was busy with works before. And would be busy again for, I don't know, maybe another month without any time to write the next chapter so it would take more time for me to update. Thank you for being so patience, though. And I also want to say thank you for the reviews and faves~ xD**


	5. Chapter 04 Romance

**LORD SUWA**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle or any of its characters. If I do, Kurogane and Fai would hook up a long time ago.**

**CHAPTER 04 – ROMANCE**

Fai was distracted for the rest of the day after his encounter with Lord Suwa in the library. He was vaguely aware of what was going on around him. He talked with Fuu about work and family and listened to Primera-chan's complain about Shougo-san.

"So, there are five people in your family, Fai-san?" Primera-chan asked.

"Yes, two children, one…pet and two adults, including me," Fai answered distractedly. His mind was still in mess, wondering if Lord Suwa really had flirted with him.

"Are they your children, Fai-san? You're married, then?" Fuu asked interestedly.

That snapped Fai out of his musing. "Oh, no. Syaoran-kun and Sakura-chan are not my children. I'm just their…guardian."

"What about the other adult, then?"

"He's also the children's guardian and my friend," Fai replied with a smile.

"A certain friend that was mention in you interview?" Shougo asked, appearing out of nowhere.

"Shougo-san!"

"Shougo, you surprise us! Don't come out of nowhere like that. You're not a ghost!" Primera scolded half-heartedly while latching onto the older man's arm.

Fai blushed a faint shade of red at the mischievous look the butler gave him. "Yes, he is."

"Interesting," Shougo smirked. "You both are like parents to the children, then? Mommy and Daddy?"

Fai laughed at that, "Actually, I often tease him with that. It really grates on his nerves."

"Well, if he really like our lord like you said, then his reaction must be amusing or scary, depend on who you ask," Shougo snickered.

"Hmmm~ I don't really know about Lord Suwa but yes, his is quite amusing to me~"

"I feel like I miss something here. Don't you, Fuu-san?" Primera asked.

Fuu had just managed to open her mouth when Shougo cut her off. "Anyway, I just came to ask when do you plan to go home, Fai-san? I suggest you to be hurry if you want to arrive home before dark."

"Oh, Shougo-san is right!" Fuu exclaimed as she looked at the clock. "Wait here for a bit, Fai-san. I've packed some dinner for you to bring home."

"Huh? It's not necessary, Fuu-chan…"

"Oh, hush. You made many dishes today, Fai-san. And no matter how many people lived in the mansion, I don't think we can eat all of them for dinner tonight. I'll pack some for you and your family. Wait here," Fuu insisted.

"I'll help~," Primera said as she went after Fuu.

I suggest you go along with it. There really are too many foods tonight," Shougo said to Fai's reluctant expression.

Fai smiled at him. "Well, I'll just wait here then."

In the end, Fuu packed two very large baskets of food for him. Fai and Shougo who was waiting at the entrance hall looked at them with raised eyebrows. Fai can't help but laughed. "And how do you think I'm going to carry these home?" he asked.

"Uhm…," Fuu smiled sheepishly as how she realized she got carried away.

"Use one of our carriages," a voice said from above them.

Everyone turned around to find Lord Suwa stepping down the stairs towards them. Fuu immediately bowed to him in greetings. Primera followed her example. Shougo just nodded respectfully.

"My Lord," they greeted.

"Shougo, prepare a carriage to escort Fai home," Lord Suwa ordered his butler.

"Yes, My Lord," Shougo bowed before turning around and went off to his task.

"Fuu, Primera, why don't you two go back to the kitchen? I believe you still have a job to finish."

"Yes, My Lord. Please excuse us," Fuu and Primera replied with a bow.

In a flash, Fai was left alone with the other man in the entrance hall. Fai smiled at the lord while gulping nervously inside. It was quite out of character of him but he can't help but felt nervous around the other man after what had happened in the library.

Lord Suwa looked at him and said, "Don't smile if you don't feel like it. I don't like anything fake."

Fai blinked in surprise. It seemed this version of Kurogane can read him well, too. Fai found it rather annoying. He dropped his smile a bit. "It's not that I don't want to smile, Lord Suwa. It's just been a long day and I feel rather tired."

Lord Suwa nodded in understanding.

"Thank you for the ride offer, by the way. It's very generous of you, Lord Suwa," Fai said but the other man just waved it away with a tiny, tiny, near smile.

They stood like that awkwardly. Well, awkward for Fai. Lord Suwa looked calm and deep in thought. Fai found that he didn't like this one bit. Normally, he was the calm one while the other party was the nervous one. But ever since he met Kurogane, the situation was always reversed and Lord Suwa seemed to have the same trait as his alternate twin.

"So…," Lord Suwa said slowly, "Your family's fills with two children and two adults?"

"Eavesdropping much? That's so unlord-like of you, Lord Suwa," Fai teased. The other man just looked at him with a lifted eyebrow, the corner of his lips twitched into a tiny smirk. "Yeah, and a…family pet. Can't forget about Mokona. That's unforgiveable."

Now, the lord was openly smirking in amusement. "Unforgiveable? Kind of dramatic, don't you think?"

"Nope," Fai shook his head with a wide grin, "Mokona's like our family's mascot."

Lord Suwa smiled openly at that and, again, Fai was blown away by the expression he had never seen on Kurogane's face before. Fortunately, he recovered from his surprise more quickly this time that if he was lucky, the observant man would not notice anything.

"So, the children are you wards and the other adult is the friend you mention in your interview? The one you have a…feeling for?" Lord Suwa asked. His smile still in place complete with the amusement from before, but his eyes flashed for a second with something Fai could not describe in time before it was gone.

"Yes, that's right," Fai replied, blushing a bit as he remembered what was said about Kurogane in the interview. Why didn't he deny it at the time, he had no idea. But now, it seemed that he was teased for it every time the opportunity came.

"You two share the custody of the children? How come?" Lord Suwa asked again, this time with a bit of curiosity.

Fai shrugged. "It's complicated and the story's kind of unbelievable but, well, we're all happy with the arrangement. And I'm kind of fond of the kids. They're good kids."

"So…you all live together?"

"Yes."

Lord Suwa hummed. Fai looked up to find a thoughtful look on his face. His brows furrowed a bit. Fai was about to ask what was wrong when they both heard some neighing sounds signaling a carriage's arrival.

"I believe that's your ride," Lord Suwa said and led him to the enormous entrance door just as Shougo opened it from outside. The butler bowed to his master before helping Fai to carry the baskets into the carriage.

"I thank you once again for the ride, Lord Suwa," Fai said courteously.

Lord Suwa smiled charmingly and, much to the blond haired man's surprise, took a hold of and kissed the back of Fai's hand. Fai blushed harder than he ever had in his life. This was much, much more mind blowing than the carefree smile from before. Okay, so this Lord Suwa had a flirty, playboy kind of personality that Kurogane hadn't possessed. Fai didn't know how to feel or think about this.

"I bid you a good night, Fai," Lord Suwa said in low tone.

"A good night to you, too, Lord Suwa," Fai said in the end after his brain's mini blank out.

_**~ page break~**_

Fai was in a daze like state of mind for the rest of his ride to home. He still could not comprehend what Lord Suwa was doing by flirting with him like that. Yes, Fai was pretty sure now that the other man was flirting with him. But, why?

Surely not because he was attracted to Fai. Why would Lord Suwa attracted to him when his alternate twin, the original Kurogane Fai knew, had never been? Now, that was depressing, but still. They were supposed to be the same, right? Had the same soul and heart and all that jazz. So, why?

Maybe there was something in both Kuroganes' pasts that made them different from each other. That was why Lord Suwa was a little bit more…open than Kurogane was. Come to think of it, Fai didn't even know if Kurogane was gay. Maybe the ninja was straight. Maybe something in Lord Suwa's past turned him gay? Trauma with persistent little girl before he was ready when he was a child? Yes, that must be it.

Fai giggled at his own thoughts. Then his mood dampened a bit when he thought for the first time that, yes, maybe his Kurogane was just not into man after all. Fai always had liberated mind when it came to many things that he never thought about the very huge possibility of Kurogane being straight, like millions other people. After everything they had been through, Fai thought there was something between him and the black haired ninja that was special. Not as obvious as what Sakura and Syaoran had but still close enough.

Now, Fai was having a doubt about it and the feeling was not good.

Fai was brought out of his musing when the carriage stopped rather abruptly. The coachman told him that they had arrived at their destination. Fai thanked him and left the carriage, baskets in both hands. He watched as the carriage disappeared from view before walking to the front door.

"Sakura-chan~," Fai called as he opened the door with a little bit difficulty.

The girl immediately ran out of her room. Her face brightened. "Fai-san, you're home!" She helped him with one of the baskets, "What are these, Fai-san?"

"Our dinner, Sakura-chan," Fai replied cheerfully, "And breakfast and lunch…seeing how many the foods are."

"Welcome home, Fai-san," Syaoran greeted as he came in from the back door. It looked like he had just finished some chores at the backyard. He looked at the baskets and the contents Sakura kept bringing out. "Where are all these come from?"

"It's today's practice results at the manor, Syaoran-kun. Since not all of the chefs are familiar with foreign dishes. We were told to practice cooking the meals that were assigned to us. Mine is the oriental kind," Fai explained lightly.

Syaoran counted all of them. "Uhm…I don't think many of these foods can last long for us to eat, Fai-san," he said. "Kurogane-san has to work late since there are new shipments at the docks. Maybe I can bring some for him?"

"What a great idea, Syaoran-kun!" Fai clapped. "I'll do it! Mommy will bring meals for daddy at work!"

"Yay~ Daddy will be happy~,"Mokona cheered.

"And maybe some more for the other workers. Surely they would appreciate it and that way, there would be no food getting waste," Syaoran said.

It was decided, then. Fai ran to take a quick shower while Sakura and Syaoran helped to pack some of the foods that would not last until next morning. Soon, Fai was on his way to the harbor, fake-whistling happily. Kurogane would not know what would hit him.

_**~ page break~**_

Things at the docks were quiet and loud at the same time. On one side, ships were honking and humming. Warehouses were buzzing with activities as crates and containers were being move around. There were several posts where workers took a break from their shifts. Most of the workers preferred to spend their break time at a nearby bar but some of them preferred to be ready for work anytime they were called. Kurogane was among those that were in the middle of their break in one of the posts, enjoying the hot mug of coffee.

On the other side of the docks, Fai got lost several times; asking some porters or stewards for direction before he found Kurogane's workplace. He found the man sipping from a mug while chatting quietly with some other men. He grinned mischievously, took a long, deep breath before calling out.

"Kuroriiiiiin~!" Fai called with the highest, most clingy voice he could manage.

The result was satisfying. Kurogane spat out his drink right into one of his coworkers' face. Said coworker was shouting in outrage, wiping the coffee off his face while Kurogane coughing violently. The surrounding people were either laughing at them or looking to Fai's direction.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Kurogane snapped, and if Fai looked closely, he could see some horror in the ninja's eyes, which made Fai all the more giddy.

"Why~ to bring my Kurotan some home cooked meal, of course~ I heard from the children that you're working late tonight," Fai said, batting his eyelashes shyly.

Kurogane flushed when the men wolf-whistling and teasing him.

"Hey, new guy, that's your wife? I didn't know you have such a lovely wife," a big man with rugged appearance teased and laughed.

"Yeah! What a beauty he is~"

More laughter ensued.

"He's not my wife!" Kurogane yelled at them. "And you, mage…!"

"I bring your favorite curry rice," Fai said, lifting the smaller basket he was carrying.

That was enough to stop any protest from Kurogane. He was still glaring, though. He shot a look at the larger basket on Fai's other hand before glaring back at the wizard. Fai grinned.

"There's a practice at the manor and I got a lot of shares of the food to bring home. Me and the kids thought it would be nice to bring some for you and your friends here," Fai explained.

Everyone perked up at that, clearly they had no qualm to eavesdropping.

"You bring food for us, sir?" a young man asked, a hopeful look in his eyes because, sure they could get food from the bar or some stands but they mostly tasted like crap. Not to mention, everybody loved free food.

Fai did not answer. He just smiled and handed the large basket to the young man. Everyone immediately gathered around him, peeking into the basket in amazement because, hey, those were meals that were going to be served at Lord Suwa's party. They were made by professional chefs and with top quality ingredients and recipes that the men could only dream about.

"Kurogane, did I mention that you have a lovely and thoughtful wife? You treat him right, okay?" the big, rugged man from before said again as he stole a box of food away with him.

"He's not my wife!" Kurogane snapped again.

"Sure, he's not," someone said, clearly not believing him, and then turned to Fai, "Thank you for the food, sir!"

"Yes! Thank you!" many said cheerily as they dug in.

"Oh my God! This is delicious! You're a lucky man, new guy!"

"You're welcome," Fai said with a pretty smile.

Some of the men blushed while some other gave flirty smiles or smirks in return. Kurogane growled as he grabbed Fai's arm and dragged him to a less crowded corner. The cat-calling began.

"Oh, look! He drags the man to a quiet corner for private time!"

"Not his wife, my ass!"

"Kiss him thank you for us!"

"Eat your food and choke to death!" Kuroagane roared at them while kept dragging a giggling Fai away.

They reached a corner full of wooden crates and stopped. Kurogane turned and glared at the mage, his face was still red but Fai didn't know whether it was from anger or embarrassment cause by the teasing from his coworkers. Either way, it was a cute look on him, Fai thought.

"Why are you here?" Kurogane growled.

Fai frowned a bit. Kurogane blinked at the unusual expression on the smaller man's face. "I told you, to bring you dinner. It's Syaoran-kun's idea, if you want to know," he answered.

"You cooked all of that?" Kurogane asked, gesturing to the other direction where everyone was eating.

"Naw~ Just this one," Fai smiled, lifting the small basket he still carrying. "Want to eat together? I kind of left the house before eating. Syaoran-kun and Sakura-chan and Mokona-chan are enjoying their dinner right now, so don't worry about them."

"I'm not worried," Kurogane said. He lifted the basket's lid. "Curry rice?"

Fai smiled. He sat on one of the wooden crates and patted the space beside him. Kurogane sat a bit further than the indicated space. Fai shrugged and place the basket between them and then preparing their food.

"So…what were you doing at work today anyway? You guys cooking all day like crazy? Because you just fed a battalion of dock workers over there."

"Yeah, just some practice for the party because they want to served some foreign dishes. I even got some books for reference," Fai said, "I don't think it would be like this every day, though."

Kurogane humphed as he dug in his dinner. Fai was eating a simple sandwich because it was easy to eat and not messy. He glanced at Kurogane expectantly. If the ninja noticed, he didn't say anything. That was until he couldn't take it anymore after Fai wouldn't stop looking even after being ignored.

"What?"

"How's the meal?" Fai asked.

"What? You want me praise you for your cooking?" Kurogane asked incredulously.

"It's only polite after someone cook for you and took the trouble bringing it here, too," Fai pointed out, eyes shining expectantly.

Kurogane looked like he wanted to argue but didn't say anything as he took in Fai's expression. There was something there… He sighed. "It's good, like usual. Why'd you want to be praise anyway? You know you're good in this."

"Doesn't change the fact that it's nice to hear it once in awhile," Fai beamed with happiness.

The taller man narrowed his eyes, looking at Fai in suspicion. Fai tilted his head in confusion. It was weird. They hadn't burst into another shouting match yet – well, Kurogane shouting while Fai teasing and laughing and running away from swinging sword – which was unusual, hence the weird feeling. But there was something else in place, a tension that Kurogane did not understand. Fai blinked.

"What's wrong?" Fai asked.

"Nothing," Kurogane looked away.

"Ne, Kurorin…"

"It's Kurogane!" the ninja corrected out of habit.

"Can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Do you have family back in Nihon?"

Kurogane shot him a look. "Why do you ask that?"

"Just curious. I realize I don't really know anything about you," Fai replied honestly.

"Same about you, but I don't ask you anything about it."

"But you're always being nosy and make comments about me and my behavior," Fai didn't have to say 'suicidal behavior', but both of them could hear the unspoken words. "So, do you have family in Nihon?"

Kurogane was silent for a moment, before he answered with a simple, "No."

"Really? No parents or siblings or wife or kids?"

"No."

"Me too," Fai hummed. "Anyone like a family?"

"People in the castle, the squads…the kids."

Fai smiled fondly. "Yes, Sakura-chan and Syaoran-kun have that effect, huh. Mokona, too."

Kurogane grunted in agreement.

"Do you like curry rice because your mother cooked it?" Fai asked again.

This time, Kurogane glared before looking away. There was a pained look in his eyes. Fai felt that he just stepped into a minefield. Maybe the lost of his mother was a more painful history than Lord Suwa's.

"Sorry, you don't have to…"

"Yes," Kurogane cut him off with his answer.

Awkward silence.

"Do you have any lover waiting back home?"

Kurogane glared again. "Why are you being so nosy tonight?" he snapped.

Fai grinned. "So you do have a lover. Female lover or male lover?"

"I don't have any lover!"

"Really?" Fai asked in surprise.

"I don't have any time for that kind of thing. Why so surprise?" Kurogane snapped again.

"Because Kurotan's the type everyone would drooling after, of course. That's if he doesn't glare and being mean at any potential lover. Are you a virgin?"

Kurogane went red in the face, embarrassed and pissed off at the same time. "No, I'm not a freaking virgin! I just don't have time for anything serious!"

Fai nodded at his answer. Kurogane calmed down. He stole a glance at the smaller man. He looked like he was debating with himself about something before he finally asked.

"What about you?" Kurogane asked with a nonchalant tone.

Fai shook his head. "Never have a lover before," he answered honestly.

Kurogane raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Mm-hmm~ People tend to frown upon my preference," Fai said vaguely.

"Meaning?" Kurogane looked confused and annoyed at being confused in the first place. It always felt like being teased or pranked when he felt confused around the wizard.

Fai bit his lips. He didn't know whether it was a good idea to tell Kurogane or not. Then again, Lord Suwa was flirting with him today and pretty open-minded when the nature of his feeling for his friend was revealed at the interview. And they were teased by his coworkers just moments before and Kurogane didn't look angry about it… well, not more than the usual pissed off look he had when he got teased anyway. The people in this world seemed pretty open-minded. Maybe Kurogane would be just as open-minded.

"I like men," Fai finally said, looking at Kurogane in the eyes, daring him to say something.

"Oh," Kurogane said casually, "And the people in your world don't like that?"

Fai blinked and then shrugged. "Most of them not. Some people don't mind but they were in the minority. A very, very small minority. That's why I never had a chance to have a lover."

Kurogane hummed. "Your world's stupid. Don't mind them, you're not there anymore."

Fai smiled. "I know. And I'm thankful for that. I get to meet people in this journey. I even meet someone special in this world."

Fai didn't see it, but Kurogane's eyebrow ticked a bit at the words. "This Lord Suwa you're working for?" he asked.

Fai looked at Kurogane in surprise. He grinned his trademark chesire grin. "Yes. He's a very attractive man. Spent the evening talking and flirting with me. Even used his carriage to bring me home. He's a nice guy."

Kurogane stood up abruptly. He handed the food container to Fai and turned around, walking away.

"Kurorin?"

"I'm going back to work. You go home and be with the kids," Kurogane said, looking over his shoulder.

Fai felt his heart thudding loudly in his chest as he watched Kurogane went back to his coworkers and together they went back to work. Kurogane looked…not angry exactly, but from the dark look in his eyes, he looked upset. He was upset because of Fai's story about Lord Suwa. Maybe it was just his wistful thinking but…was it possible that Kurogane was jealous?

**~ End of Chapter 04 ~**

**AN: Sorry for the slow update. Been busy…**


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